How do you know when it's time for brake pads?
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 274
Likes: 3
From: Portage, IN
Also don't ever add fluid between pad changes. If you do when they are wore out and you change the pads the master cylinder will be to full
This is my practice too...I take care of a fleet of medium duty trucks and have always done this. With new rotors and new pads and everything bled correctly the master will be full. As the pads wear the fluid level drops to compensate for the extra fluid used to take up the space of the worn pads. When you change pads you compress the pistons to insert the new pads and the fluid is pushed back into the resivior. If you added bewteen pads then the fluid will be pushed out of the resivior and you have a mess. This is true on disc brakes but not drum brakes (thank god we do not have on bikes) I tend to replace pads when they are about 70% used up.
This is my practice too...I take care of a fleet of medium duty trucks and have always done this. With new rotors and new pads and everything bled correctly the master will be full. As the pads wear the fluid level drops to compensate for the extra fluid used to take up the space of the worn pads. When you change pads you compress the pistons to insert the new pads and the fluid is pushed back into the resivior. If you added bewteen pads then the fluid will be pushed out of the resivior and you have a mess. This is true on disc brakes but not drum brakes (thank god we do not have on bikes) I tend to replace pads when they are about 70% used up.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 155
Likes: 1
From: Bama
So it apperars that its the same as pads on cars which I have done several times. More than likely I will be installing new ones, so I will need to compress the pistons back into the calipers before I remove the old pads. I'm assuming that I will need to remove the cover on the reservoir to allow the fluid to be pushed back into it. I will take care to cover everything around and under the reservoir with plastic to project from drips. Or can I leave the cover on?
Although the video is for the rear, I'm assuming the front two are the same.
Did I mention this is an ABS system , does that change anything in the process?
As "ThisIsMe" mentioned , there maybe air in the line. If this is the case, the only option then is to take it to the dealer to have it pumped out with their machine correct? When I first bought the bike a few months ago I could pull the front lever with very little motion before I could feel resistance. Now, it feels soft when I pull it the same amount, until I release and pull a second time, like I'm pumping the line.
Thanks
Rick
Although the video is for the rear, I'm assuming the front two are the same.
Did I mention this is an ABS system , does that change anything in the process?
As "ThisIsMe" mentioned , there maybe air in the line. If this is the case, the only option then is to take it to the dealer to have it pumped out with their machine correct? When I first bought the bike a few months ago I could pull the front lever with very little motion before I could feel resistance. Now, it feels soft when I pull it the same amount, until I release and pull a second time, like I'm pumping the line.
Thanks
Rick
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,191
Likes: 2,420
From: USA
Disk brakes are disc brakes, be it on a car or a motorcycle. So yes, if you've done them on a car, you can do them on a bike. Fiddly minor differences is all there is. Specific sockets, fender clearance, etc.
ABS does change things a little. I'm familiar with abs, not not the Harley specific version. So if someone says I'm wrong on a general abs point, they are likely right. In general, you do not want to push fluid backwards up through an abs actuator. So instead of just shoving the pistons into the caliper, you open the bleeder and then shove the pistons back into the caliper. This also helps get the bit of air that has likely gotten into the caliper out. I know of no inherent reason you cannot do this yourself. But again, I am not familiar with the Harley abs system.
You want to make sure you don't accidentally run the master cylinder reservoir dry doing this, so open it and keep it topped up. Be very careful of your bikes paint. ABS brakes use glycol fluids not silicone, so it does damage paint.
The cleaning of the caliper pistons before shoving them back into the caliper is a good idea. Gunk on them causes them to stick in their bores. This causes uneven wear on the pads, poor braking and long lever travel to actuate the brakes. Careful use of a twine sized string works to clean the caliper pistons, as does a brush and solvent.
ABS does change things a little. I'm familiar with abs, not not the Harley specific version. So if someone says I'm wrong on a general abs point, they are likely right. In general, you do not want to push fluid backwards up through an abs actuator. So instead of just shoving the pistons into the caliper, you open the bleeder and then shove the pistons back into the caliper. This also helps get the bit of air that has likely gotten into the caliper out. I know of no inherent reason you cannot do this yourself. But again, I am not familiar with the Harley abs system.
You want to make sure you don't accidentally run the master cylinder reservoir dry doing this, so open it and keep it topped up. Be very careful of your bikes paint. ABS brakes use glycol fluids not silicone, so it does damage paint.
The cleaning of the caliper pistons before shoving them back into the caliper is a good idea. Gunk on them causes them to stick in their bores. This causes uneven wear on the pads, poor braking and long lever travel to actuate the brakes. Careful use of a twine sized string works to clean the caliper pistons, as does a brush and solvent.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 274
Likes: 3
From: Portage, IN
Disk brakes are disc brakes, be it on a car or a motorcycle. So yes, if you've done them on a car, you can do them on a bike. Fiddly minor differences is all there is. Specific sockets, fender clearance, etc.
ABS does change things a little. I'm familiar with abs, not not the Harley specific version. So if someone says I'm wrong on a general abs point, they are likely right. In general, you do not want to push fluid backwards up through an abs actuator. So instead of just shoving the pistons into the caliper, you open the bleeder and then shove the pistons back into the caliper. This also helps get the bit of air that has likely gotten into the caliper out. I know of no inherent reason you cannot do this yourself. But again, I am not familiar with the Harley abs system.
You want to make sure you don't accidentally run the master cylinder reservoir dry doing this, so open it and keep it topped up. Be very careful of your bikes paint. ABS brakes use glycol fluids not silicone, so it does damage paint.
The cleaning of the caliper pistons before shoving them back into the caliper is a good idea. Gunk on them causes them to stick in their bores. This causes uneven wear on the pads, poor braking and long lever travel to actuate the brakes. Careful use of a twine sized string works to clean the caliper pistons, as does a brush and solvent.
ABS does change things a little. I'm familiar with abs, not not the Harley specific version. So if someone says I'm wrong on a general abs point, they are likely right. In general, you do not want to push fluid backwards up through an abs actuator. So instead of just shoving the pistons into the caliper, you open the bleeder and then shove the pistons back into the caliper. This also helps get the bit of air that has likely gotten into the caliper out. I know of no inherent reason you cannot do this yourself. But again, I am not familiar with the Harley abs system.
You want to make sure you don't accidentally run the master cylinder reservoir dry doing this, so open it and keep it topped up. Be very careful of your bikes paint. ABS brakes use glycol fluids not silicone, so it does damage paint.
The cleaning of the caliper pistons before shoving them back into the caliper is a good idea. Gunk on them causes them to stick in their bores. This causes uneven wear on the pads, poor braking and long lever travel to actuate the brakes. Careful use of a twine sized string works to clean the caliper pistons, as does a brush and solvent.
100% agree..
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,485
Likes: 232
From: Ohio
When my front discs were bent slightly, they would push the caliper open when moving and it required two pumps of the brake handle for the pads make contact with the disc. If sitting still, it would only take one pump to get a good solid brake handle. Maybe you have warped or bent rotors.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 832
Likes: 125
From: Parris Island
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 4
From: South Carolina
Do you have ABS? without draining some fluid, its always been a bitch for me to pry open the calipers to get the pad out.
The owners manual has minimum thickness for pads. somewhere around 0.4 mm which is too thin for me to wait on.
New brake pads are fat compared to one's that need to be changed.
The owners manual has minimum thickness for pads. somewhere around 0.4 mm which is too thin for me to wait on.
New brake pads are fat compared to one's that need to be changed.
